Weird

CONWAY, Ark. — UCA Public Appearances will present The National Circus and Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China at the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus Thursday, October 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Although the performance is sold out, in the event tickets become available, the public will be notified via the Reynolds Performance Hall Facebook page.

Direct from Beijing, the group will perform “Peking Dreams,” which will include foot juggling with umbrellas, unicycles, adagio of four, grand martial arts, high chair balancing, aerial silks, rope tricks (lasso), teeterboard, grand flying trapeze and group contortions.

“Peking Dreams” was performed for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and has been performed more than 600 times before more than 400,000 people in China, Europe, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

CONWAY, Ark. - Doctors Brian and Merissa Beard, husband and wife, have been in Conway for a little over a year, and for the last three months they have been using their skills as Chiropractors to help the homeless.

Merissa says, "We were looking for somewhere to give back to our community. Conway has been awesome giving to us.”

The Beards had worked performing adjustments on Sundays at a homeless church while attending Parker University in Dallas. It was a logical step for the Beards to start helping the homeless through Bethlehem House, Conway’s homeless shelter.

“Chiropractic adjustments can help in tremendous ways. Anything from treating neck pain, back pain and headaches to helping people sleep better, to function better and for overall health,” Brian added.

The Beards perform chiropractic adjustments at the Bethlehem House once a week either on Monday evenings or Thursday afternoons.

CONWAY, Ark. (KTHV) - Arrests have been made in regards to the string of vehicle break-ins that occurred in Conway during the month of March.

Spencer Johnson and Jacob Reza are being investigated for their involvement in the break-ins. According to detectives, the two 19-year-old boys could be responsible for most of the 70 car break-ins that were reported in March.

The pair was taken into custody after police received a call about trespassers on Duncan Street Wednesday night. Police later discovered that Johnson and Reza were in possession of a car that was reported stolen from Hendrix College. Reports state that during questioning, the men admitted to breaking into unlocked cars and taking anything they could put into a backpack or their pockets. Johnson and Reza stated that they traded the stolen property for drugs.

BENTON, Ark. (KTHV) - The Benton Police Department is asking for the public’s help in finding a 17-year-old who ran away from his home Thursday, April 23.

Christopher Bennett left his home Thursday, and according to reports, has not been seen from his parents since.

Bennett is described as being a white male standing at approximately 5'6" tall and weighing at around 150 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He is believed to still be in the central Arkansas area.

Police stated that any person who knowingly harbors a runaway could face charges.

Anyone with information about Bennett's whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Benton Police Department at (501) 778-1171 or (501) 315-TIPS.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Justice Department says two subsidiaries of Exxon Mobil have agreed to pay almost $5 million in government penalties from a 2013 oil spill in a central Arkansas community.

As part of a consent decree set to be filed in a Little Rock federal court Wednesday, the companies would pay about $3.2 million in federal civil penalties in addition to addressing pipeline safety issues and oil-response capacity. They would pay $1 million in state civil penalties, $600,000 for a project to improve water quality at Lake Conway and $280,000 for the state's legal costs.

Assistant Attorney General John Cruden notes that Exxon Mobil doesn't admit liability in agreeing to the measures.

CONWAY, Ark. (UCA) - Fish-writer and University of Central Arkansas writing professor Mark Spitzer is driving around Arkansas with a 12-foot-long alligator gar on top of his car to promote his new book, Return of the Gar, just out from the University of North Texas Press.

The last stop on his statewide tour will be at Hastings Books and Music in Conway on Saturday, May 9, from 1-3 p.m. Return of the Gar continues the conservationist crusade Spitzer began 13 years ago to de-stigmatize this monstrous-looking prehistoric fish. Alligator gar, the largest member of the gar family, can grow 11 feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds ― and they’re right here in Arkansas.